Behind Xue Daoyong stood the unassuming Heaven-Shattering Bow, resting quietly on its ebony stand. The old man paced slowly to the bow's side, running his palm gently across the body of the weapon. He looked at Li Guanyi and smiled.
"You were unhappy before, weren't you? That you couldn't lift it?"
"Today, since you're here again…"
"Come on. Try it."
Li Guanyi was still preoccupied with thoughts about wearing armor.
His eyes lifted slightly to gaze at the battle bow. Thoughts of its legacy stirred in his mind—but his first instinct was to wonder: What is the old man trying to do? Could he have found out that I could lift this divine weapon forged five hundred years ago? And what would that mean for me?
The young man had no reason to refuse—at least not overtly.
He stepped toward the Heaven-Shattering Bow.
He extended his hand, spread his five fingers, and grasped the weapon. The bow's surface felt smooth and perfectly contoured to his palm. That strong sense of divine resonance surged again—but this time, no inheritance was triggered, and the bronze cauldron's jade nectar remained undisturbed.
He needed to reach a new realm.
Only by advancing in cultivation could the bronze cauldron resume accumulating jade nectar.
Only then could he once again trigger the legacy of a divine weapon?
Only then could he truly survive in this chaotic world.
A strong yearning to reach that new level began to rise in Li Guanyi's heart.
He intended to release the bow and feign helplessness again. He looked at the old man and said,
"Elder Xue, I'm afraid I still can't lift—"
BOOM!!!
The old man smiled, but at his step, a sudden wave of qi erupted.
A ripple visible to the naked eye swept through the room.
The entire Tingfeng Pavilion seemed to shake.
An ancient writing desk, worth a fortune and inlaid with golden threads, suddenly collapsed into dust. Naturally, the Heaven-Shattering Bow in Li Guanyi's hand began to fall with it.
In that instant—before thought, before calculation—Li Guanyi instinctively tightened his grip on the bow.
Even as his mind caught up, telling him he should let go…
It was too late.
That one instant of instinctive grasping caused the falling bow to momentarily pause midair—that split-second delay was enough. With the old man's sharp eyes, there was no hiding it.
Li Guanyi's body stiffened, then slowly relaxed.
But he did not release the divine weapon.
The nanmu desk—crafted from golden-threaded wood that took 3,000 years to form—was reduced to glimmering dust. A faint wood fragrance lingered in the air.
The old man looked at the youth before him.
Golden motes floated in the air. His robe sleeves fluttered as he stood tall, back straight.
The Heaven-Shattering Bow remained in his hand. It was as if a choice had been made.
The bowstring let out a faint hum.
A radiant gleam flickered in Xue Daoyong's eyes. He smiled broadly and exclaimed,
"Good! Good!! Excellent!!!"
Li Guanyi said mildly, "A golden-thread nanmu desk worth ten thousand taels—shattered just like that."
Old man, you don't play fair!
Xue Daoyong didn't care. He laughed heartily and replied,
"To witness someone grasp this divine weapon again—worth far more than ten thousand taels!"
He paused, then looked at Li Guanyi as if seeing a younger version of himself.
"You can hold this bow," he said solemnly. "That means…"
Li Guanyi closed his eyes.
The bronze cauldron hummed.
In the void, a low tiger's roar echoed.
The divine weapon in his hand resonated with it. Golden light flared along the bow. The intricate patterns etched into it seemed to come alive—as if the souls of those slain by this very weapon had awoken, now shrieking in fear.
"Arun Urha-Rivabod Sadhava" —the language of the sacred mountain.
The Central Plains' Bodhisattva Arrow that once pierced a holy peak.
Golden light coursed along the bow and reached his palm.
A golden gauntlet appeared over his left hand.
Golden light wrapped around his right finger, forming a golden ring.
The bowstring—made from the soul of a fierce tiger—could slit the throat of a Northern giant. Mortal flesh could never touch it… until now.
This was the true awakening of the divine weapon.
The tiger revealed its claws.
Its eyes opened again, ready to judge the world anew.
Xue Daoyong watched the scene and let out a booming laugh.
"Can you draw it?" he asked.
Li Guanyi was curious too. He gripped the bow, hooked his right fingers onto the string. The string hummed. The White Tiger Dharma Aspect rested atop it, and golden light glowed faintly from the divine bow.
But—despite his full strength—
The string did not move.
Not even a flicker.
Still not enough.
Xue Daoyong was slightly disappointed. "As expected. To hold the bow requires the White Tiger Dharma Aspect—but to draw it requires a much higher realm."
Li Guanyi returned the bow to another table. As he let go, the golden light on the divine weapon slowly faded.
The glow retracted inward, converging at the center of the string before finally vanishing.
But at that moment—Li Guanyi suddenly noticed:
The White Tiger Dharma Aspect had absorbed a tiny trace of power from the awakened divine weapon.
It seemed to grow—just slightly.
But in the next instant, the Crimson Dragon Dharma Aspect forcefully siphoned that power away.
The White Tiger, which had just begun to expand, suddenly shrank back—back to its small-cat form.
In its place, the Crimson Dragon finally emerged.
It coiled around Li Guanyi's arm like a living column—Dragon Coils the Pillar—gazing curiously at the world around it.
The Crimson Dragon Dharma Aspect had awakened.
A ripple passed through Li Guanyi's eyes.
He was eager to test it. What abilities did this new Dharma Aspect possess?
He wondered: Could he replicate the famed "Arrow of Cold Light" from the Xue family using the Crimson Dragon instead of the White Tiger?
The White Tiger was known for its piercing power.
What about the dragon?
There was curiosity. And hope.
The old man gestured for him to sit again, then brewed tea. He smiled warmly and said:
"You can't use that bow yet."
"But you've proven worthy to wield it."
"This bow is the ancestral treasure of the Xue family. The old man can't hand it over just yet."
"I will help you secure that Ninth-Rank Dispersed Military Officer title."
"You can be at ease—a clean title is the least you deserve."
"I know the route of your escape. The arrest records are with the Night Riders. Even I can't fully deduce them."
"But—it's been ten years. And knowing Chen's bureaucracy, no matter how serious your case once was, by now… the pursuit orders have sunk to the bottom of the pile."
Li Guanyi finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.
It seemed the old man—sharp as he was—hadn't completely uncovered his identity.
He'd merely traced his wandering trail via the Xue family's merchant network.
Truthfully, even Li Guanyi didn't fully know his origin.
Nor could he tell if this elder was simply bluffing.
So he calmly asked, "How does Elder Xue know all this?"
The old man stroked his beard, a touch of mockery in his voice.
"Because this is Chen."
"Marshal Yue may be highly respected—but not so much that his recall would instantly plunge the borders into chaos."
"No, the real reason…"
"…is that the other divine general capable of guarding the realm is right here—in Jiangzhou."
"The current capital is under the protection of Xiao Wuliang, Chen's greatest general. Unlike Marshal Yue, he's a different breed—a true warrior."
"I once witnessed his might. When the Prince Regent rebelled, he rode out alone at thirteen."
"At eighteen, he led seven riders to break through an army and slay their commander."
"He ranked fifteenth on the Divine Generals List. The enemy feared him, bestowing the title Mahā-Wuliang."
"A general like that—if he joined forces with Yue—could crush the surrounding nations and restore Chen's imperial borders."
"But the nobles chose to station him at the capital."
The old man sighed deeply.
"Generals of the realm wear enchanted armor, ride beasts, and wield divine weapons with Dharma Aspects—each worth ten thousand soldiers. If they ignore politics and act alone, even the royal family can't stop them."
"So they keep Xiao Wuliang in the capital."
"They call it 'If the ruler lives, the realm lives; if he dies, the realm dies.' They claim he is the state's keystone—the heart of the people."
"But truthfully, they just want his strength to protect themselves."
"Now, with Marshal Yue detained, and Xiao Wuliang no longer at the front—while enemies like Ying grows ever stronger…"
"…the nobles and royal heirs still 'train' at the border, drinking wine and enjoying beauties. Soldiers eat plain food and go days without meat."
"Under such pressure, how could the frontier not rot?"
"See the small, understand the large—if national affairs are like this, how much effort do you think goes into pursuing a single fugitive?"
The old man's tone dripped with scorn.
Li Guanyi understood—this was Xue Daoyong showing trust.
Li Guanyi then stated his true goal:
"Still—I must leave the Xue family. I must leave Guan Yi City."
The old man laughed aloud. "Haha! That's fine. I never planned to chain you to the Xue family."
"This is a deal—a pact between two men."
He sipped tea casually and grinned:
"Besides… the Xue Merchant Guild has branches everywhere in the world."
"Even in the State of Ying."
Li Guanyi: "..."
The old man roared with laughter.
After a few shocks to his old heart, he finally felt at peace.
"You want to cross the border? Fine."
"Having official rank makes it easier to obtain travel documents."
"Don't give me that look. You think the court would be strict about letting a martial officer leave Chen?"
"If so—you don't understand this country."
"Chen was once the Southern Circuit under the Emperor of Zhongzhou."
"After the great upheaval 300 years ago, Chen broke away."
"To maintain stability, they appeased the old noble families."
"As a result, we ended up with two or even three bureaucratic systems merged into one."
"Now it's a bureaucratic mess."
"Your rank? Ninth-rank, Dispersed Officer, no assignment. Just a placeholder."
"But even such titles come with perks—no taxes, many privileges."
"And for clerks handling travel papers? The sooner you leave, the sooner they can give that spot to their kin."
"They want you to go."
"Especially with titles like yours."
The old man spoke with a mocking tone—but these were insider truths.
A political critique from an in-law of the court.
By revealing this after naming Li Guanyi a fugitive, the old man handed over a piece of his leverage.
It was a gesture of equality.
Li Guanyi went quiet, then looked at the old man and asked:
"Why do you value me so highly?"
The elder looked at him intently and smiled.
"For the sake of the Xue family, of course."
"I'm simply making a bet. If peace reigns, you'll become a great general or a high minister."
"But if chaos descends? You're the kind who'll draw your blade to protect the oppressed. You won't hide."
"My eyes have never failed me."
"And now… the upper ranks cover up the frontier's decay. Nobles divert divine generals for their safety."
"The court feasts and sings while local officials scheme for power."
"A magnificent façade over boiling oil."
"Tell me, Li Guanyi—how long can this country last?"
As he spoke, the old man stroked the Heaven-Shattering Bow, as if reaching a decision.
He murmured to himself:
"Ah… Heaven-Shattering Bow…"
"Is this truly what built the Xue family's legacy?"
"No. It was our ancestors. Even without this bow, our forefather would still have been the greatest general of his time."
"This bow, enshrined in the Xue family—it's a relic. A dead thing."
"Only by returning to battle, by accompanying its wielder into the fray, can it fulfill its purpose."
"It wasn't the bow that built our legacy—it was the man who wielded it."
Suddenly, he laughed—bold and open-hearted.
He declared:
"Li Guanyi!"
"When the world descends into chaos—come back here!"
"Take this bow!"
"Ride forth, and charge across this land!"
(End of Chapter)